Living a bitching life on a budget

Broke Girls Guide to Saving Money For a Vacation

5 Tips To Save Money For your Next Vacation

5 Weeks ago, I spontaneously decided that I needed to get a new tattoo, and that tattoo was getting done in Vegas. Now it is 2:00 pm on the day before my flight. You assume I was packed and ready to go, but nope! Not me. I’ll be spending my evening running around like a crazy person to prepare for my trip, but one thing I won’t be worrying about is money. After I bought my plane ticket and put aside my tattoo money, my bank account got dangerously close to the “Ramen for breakfast, lunch and dinner” stage. I quickly sat down to adjust my budget to add more to my saving so I would have enough FUN money to enjoy the trip. Below are the things that I cut back on, and other tips to help you save for your next vacation … Just try to give yourself a little more time than I did.

Tip 1

Delete your food apps.

I know this one is hard and you’ve had a long day/you’re hung over/you got out of work late. I dare you to look back at your order history this past month and see just how much you have spent ordering in, I’m guessing it isn’t pretty. An easy way for me to make the convenience of ordering out less appealing is to stock my kitchen with quick fix meals like canned chicken and pre made bagged salad. I will always make sure I have a guilty pleasure snack hidden away as well. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve spent $20 on a Sunday morning to get Wendy’s delivered, when I was hungover and just NEEDED some salt.

Tip 2

Reject FOMO

I know it’s hard to turn down Invitations, and you don’t have to get crazy with it. Just be mindful of the plans you make and invitations you accept. Only say yes to things that truly interest you. Not only will you save money staying in, but you will be more present in the events you do attend. Not to say you shouldn’t still make friends a priority, but having friends over for cheap wine and Netflix sounds better to me than hanging with suits at the newest happy hour.

Tip 3

Digit

If you haven’t heard of this app, you need to download it right away! Digit pulls small increments of money out of your bank account that I promise you will go unnoticed. The best part about digit is that you can adjust how much it will save, based upon the expenses you have in a given week. Bonus, for every friend you refer, you get a $5 bonus. Check it out here: https://digit.co/r/bJVBIpyFqb?wn

Tip #4

Find your weakness

This one is 100 percent customizable. All of us have our vices that can drain our bank accounts. Whether this is smoking, drinking expensive cocktails, Starbucks mocha lattes, or retail therapy and Uber. Over the winter I was spending over $200 a month on taking Uber to work. Once it started getting nice, I completely cut that out of my budget. Now all that extra cash can be used to treat myself with an awesome car rental while in Vegas.

Tip #5

Pre-game

This one is for all my party girls. I know we were practicing turning down invitations and staying in, but you aren’t on lockdown! Sometimes we’re going to go out and have a good time. Bar prices are expensive, especially in the city. Paying the same amount for one cocktail as you would for a 6-pack of beer at the store makes me want to vom. My friends and I like to take turns hosting our pre-game sessions. We will do our makeup, try on outfits, and plan out our night. Having a nice buzz before leaving the house will help you spend less money at the bar.

*pro Tip Stick with a stout or IPA when you get to the bar. Those beers are usually heavier so you will drink it slow … and the alcohol content is higher. It’s a win/win.

I hope these tips help the next time you are saving money for your vacation. What are some of you favorite tips for saving money for an upcoming expense? Let us know in the comments below.